Survivor
by mysticgirl916
Summary: Will Schuester, a young man from District 5, tells the story of how at the age of 18 he participated in and survived the 57th Hunger Games. Other Glee characters are mentioned
1. Reaping

_My name is Will, I'm thirty-three years old._

_When I was eighteen, I was chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, a form of mandatory televised entertainment for the citizens of Panem where each year twenty-four young people between the ages of twelve and eighteen fight to the death until one remains standing, it's the Capitol's way of telling everyone who is in charge, in other words. To be able to tell you this should tell you that I survived the brutality in the arena and became the youngest living victor of my district._

_So, here is my story…_

* * *

><p>It all happened about three days after my eighteenth birthday.<p>

I was born and raised in District 5, the only son of two systems analysts who help run the power grid for the whole country – our district's main function is providing power to keep the nation running. So as soon as I turned twelve, that was the first time I had been entered into the Reaping, the draw that chose the tributes each year for the Games, which must be attended by all district citizens – the laws are very strict here in Panem. Two years ago, I had lost my best friend Henri St. Pierre, who was two years older than me, to the Games as a tribute, where he was killed halfway through at the hands of one of those Career tributes from District 1. Believe me, I was devastated when I had to watch my closest friend die on television, and the only thing that kept my spirits up was by singing. People often told me that they enjoyed listening to me sing, so I try to do that for others as often as possible. However, Reaping days are different: nobody is to make a sound unless someone volunteers to take another's place as tribute. And since my family does fairly well with their jobs, I had no need to apply for tesserae, my parents always made sure that I was well-fed, clothed, educated and cared for. Others in our district aren't so lucky as I am, they need the tesserae to support themselves in exchange for more tickets in the bowl. Whoever gets chosen as tribute is entirely up to chance.

* * *

><p>At exactly one o'clock on the day of the Reaping that year, my family and I headed for the town square where our district's Justice Building is, a stage erected in front of it with several chairs (for our district mayor, mentor and escort) along with a microphone and the two glass bowls filled with small white slips of paper and two Peacekeepers facing the square at street level to make sure whoever is chosen will not make a fuss. The children who are eligible for reaping take their places in age order: youngest in the back, oldest in front, secluded from their families by a perimeter fence. I stand with the other eighteen-year-olds facing the two Peacekeepers for a moment before I turn my head back towards the crowd and see a familiar head of red hair over where the seventeen-year-olds are standing.<p>

Her name is Emma Pillsbury, she's the daughter of a nuclear technician and an energy consultant. She and I are neighbors, so we grew up together and became not only playmates, but childhood friends. Emma is a year younger than I am, and like myself her family makes enough to not have to support themselves with tesserae. She sees me and smiles, I smile back. Hopefully she will not be chosen today, I close my eyes and cross my fingers for luck.

By two o'clock, the square is full and the Reaping ceremony is about to begin. The mayor and mentor take their places on the stage, the television cameras and lights snap on, the video screens on either side of the stage come to life. The mayor gets up from his chair, approaches the microphone and does the standard telling of the story of the foundation of Panem, the introduction of the mentor, then reads the names of the District 5 victors of the past. Our mentor is a man named Devon Caufield, he is currently the only living victor of the district – we don't have many victors here because they are killed off so early on in the Games. Finally our escort, a woman named Shelby Corcoran, crosses to the microphone, standing between the two glass bowls. As a woman from the Capitol, she is wearing outrageously-styled clothing: a bright orange dress, orange jewelry and high-heeled silver shoes. Her hair was styled in a way that I couldn't describe exactly, and it was held in place with a bright orange flower ornament. It is she who announces who the tributes are.

"Happy Hunger Games," she says to the assembled crowd, "and may the odds be ever in your favor! It is time to see which courageous young man and woman will be chosen as tributes for District 5 in the 57th Hunger Games. As customary, we will start with the ladies." The female tribute is always chosen first, that's the way it has always been. Shelby crosses to the bowl containing the girls' names, reaches in with one slender hand, pulls out a slip of paper and looks at the name printed on it before announcing it to everyone.

"Mia Delancey!"

A sixteen-year-old girl with long blonde hair is pushed towards the stage, I can hear a few people screaming in the back – perhaps her family or friends. When one is picked as tribute, there's no going back unless someone volunteers for you. Right now, I am thankful that Emma has been spared as I see Mia standing on stage with Shelby. Nobody applauds, everyone is silent. Shelby then announces that with Mia picked, it is now time to see who will be her male counterpart. The escort goes to the boys' bowl, I am now staring at the ground not seeing what's going on. The next thing I hear is Shelby's voice booming out the name of the chosen male tribute.

"Will Schuester!"

* * *

><p>I am now standing on stage beside Mia, looking at the faces of my family, friends and neighbors staring back at me as the mayor now reads the Treaty of Treason. I see Emma start to cry and I wonder what my parents are probably thinking as well. The Panem anthem plays, and as soon as it's over the Peacekeepers take us into custody inside the Justice Building where we are ushered into a room so we can say our goodbyes to our loved ones. Mia's parents and sister arrive first, who tearfully hug her and give her words of advice before their time is up with her. Next, my parents arrive, my mother is in tears. As she hugs me, she tells me that she loves me, then my dad takes her place.<p>

"Stay safe out there, son," he says. "Do your best to win this thing."

"I will," I reply. "I'll give it my all out there, hopefully Henri's spirit will be on my side too." I receive my final visitor, it's Emma. She unhooks the necklace with the gold heart from around her neck, places it in my hand and closes my fingers around it: each tribute is allowed one token from their home district. She wishes me luck before kissing me on the cheek and leaving with my family. When this is done, Mia and I are taken in a black car to the district train station, where we are to board the special tribute train that will take us to the Capitol.

All of a sudden, I feel scared.


	2. Capitol

As our train speeds towards the Capitol, I am now sitting with Mia, Devon and Shelby in a lavishly-styled compartment as we watch the special broadcast of the other Reapings that have been held in the other districts – everyone conducts theirs at exactly the same time all over Panem – after we've had a huge meal. Capitol food is so much more sophisticated and tasty compared to what we have in District 5, sometimes the work that people do within the district leaves them little time for big meals so they have to rely on intermittent snacking to keep them going. So as I watch the reaping broadcast, I finally get to see who I'm up against. There is a tall, slim, dark-haired boy from District 1 named Dustin who just seems to sum up the definition of a Career tribute for me. A mysterious-looking girl with wavy brown hair from District 3, seems like someone to watch. When they get to District 5, I see myself for the first time on screen and realize how calm I was after hearing my name called and standing on that stage. After the rest of the district reapings are shown and the broadcast ends, Shelby heads to her compartment and leaves Devon alone with myself and Mia.

"As your mentor, it's my duty to get you ready for the Games through figuring out your best strategies in regards to staying alive in the arena," he says to us. "As long as you do your part by listening and learning, I will do everything in my power to help you, since you know District 5 doesn't have many victors. Should one of you win, I will be proud to have you as a neighbor in the Victors' Village." He is talking about the section of the district where lavish homes are built to house the victors of the Games and their families. We know of the prizes that possibly await us if myself or Mia emerge as the last person standing.

"Now," he continues, "impressions count in everything you do, and that's where your stylist and prep team come in – you will be immediately taken to the Remake Center once we arrive in the Capitol. It's their job to make you look presentable to the rest of Panem, but most importantly it's your job to promote yourself as best as you can. The better the impression you make especially with the opening parade and the interviews, the more sponsors you will get in order to make your survival in the Games easier and both myself and Shelby will be looking after that piece of business. So if you have a special talent, use it – you will stand out more than other tributes." Perhaps if someone calls for it, I could use my singing talent.

We are plunged into darkness moments later, this must be the tunnel that leads into the Capitol, the journey from District 5 actually doesn't take that long compared to places like District 11 or District 12 which are farther away. When we finally slow down and come to a halt, that is when we know we've arrived.

* * *

><p>I'm now in the process of being poked, prodded and scrubbed by the prep team assigned to me at the Remake Center, Mia is on the other side of the room, about two hours have passed since we arrived in the Capitol. When they are satisfied with the job they've done, they have me stand up and begin to circle around me to see if they've missed anything. I touch my hand to my cheek, my face has been shaved completely clean.<p>

"It's time to call Rydia over, I think," says Pandora, one of the prep team members. Another, whose name is Anju, walks out of the room and returns minutes later with a woman dressed in bright green, her short lime-green hair parted over to the right. She stands at my side, looking me over.

"You did a good job on him, Pandora," the woman says. "I'll take things from here, but I'll call you when I need assistance." Pandora takes her leave, and the woman extends her hand out to me to shake.

"So you must be Will," she says to me. "I'm Rydia, I'll be your stylist for your public and personal appearances during the Games. This is only my second year assisting the tributes of District 5, and you seem like a handsome young man, so I really want to make you stand out. Come, I want to show you what I've been working on for the opening ceremonies." She beckons me to follow her, and I walk past the other male tributes to another room where Anju waits by a table with makeup on it. Rydia picks up what looks to be a long black leather coat that has bits of lit neon tubing in blue attached to it. Black leather pants with the same blue tubing running down the seams go with it, and I am given a bright blue T-shirt by Anju to put on. The costumes are meant to reflect the flavor of our districts, and since District 5 is power and electricity, this costume seems to be only fitting – it makes me wonder what Mia's stylist is doing because the male costume usually compliments the female one. I pull on the leather pants underneath my blue robe, then peel it off and put the T-shirt on. I do up the black leather motorcycle boots that were on the floor at my feet as Rydia touches my short curly hair with short blasts of bright blue spray dye and Anju paints a bright blue lightning bolt over my right eye with glittery make-up. They take me to where the chariots are lined up in district order and I am reunited with Mia, who looks amazing with her blonde hair waved and streaked with hot pink spray dye, her stylist Phoenix at her side. She is wearing a costume similar to mine, only she is wearing a hot pink corset top, a short black tutu-style skirt with pink-lit tubing on the hems, black fishnet stockings and black knee-high boots, bright pink tubing attached to her coat. She too has a lightning bolt, on her eye, a pink one over her left. Devon and Shelby come over to inspect us.

"Wow," Devon says, "just wow. You are certainly going to wow the crowd with those costumes." Shelby nods in agreement. We see some of the other tributes begin to board their chariots in anticipation of the opening parade, I help Mia into the one assigned to us. The doors to the Remake Center open and the next thing I hear is the cheer of the crowds gathered outside, certainly the eyes of the entire nation will be upon us.

* * *

><p>One by one, the chariots wheel out onto the Avenue of the Tributes, District 1's chariot leading the way, Dustin and his female counterpart clad in outfits covered in sparkling gems as their main export is luxury items. Districts 2 and 3 follow, and then as District 4's rolls out we are now at the edge of the doorway looking out towards the President's mansion.<p>

"District 5!" the announcer shouts, the horses pulling our chariot begin to move and Mia and I turn our attention towards the crowds, waving and smiling as they take in our neon-lit outfits. Just as Devon predicted, they are loving us, Mia throws kisses to the crowd on her side and I do a few little dance moves – they are eating it up. A woman in the crowd tosses a bouquet of flowers in my direction, I catch it with one hand and flash her a peace sign. All the chariots make a round of the City Circle and stop in front of the presidential mansion, where President Snow steps out onto the balcony and gives the official welcome. Then after the anthem, the chariots roll on towards the Training Center, which will be our home until the actual Games begin, we are met by Devon, Shelby and our prep teams (they can't seem to stop raving about our performance in the parade) who help us off the chariots and to the elevators – each district has a floor to themselves, so we are on the fifth floor. As soon as I am shown to my personal room, I immediately hop into the shower so I can get this makeup off and get myself cleaned up for dinner.

For me, this is when the Hunger Games really begin.


	3. Training

"Wake up sleepyhead," says a voice outside my door, "training begins today!" It is the morning after the opening ceremonies and Shelby is doing a wake-up call to make sure that I was rested to begin the three days of training which would also include our private session with the Gamemakers in order to determine our chances of survival in the Games as well as our likelihood of getting sponsors. This was the first opportunity to get all the tributes together and for me to personally determine how I would fare against my opponents. I get out of bed, shower and pull on a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans before meeting Devon, Shelby and Mia for breakfast. Mia and I would then change into our training uniforms and go down to the gym on the first basement level of the Training Center.

"Good morning," I say in a polite tone as I walk into the dining room, already seeing food on the table and everyone there including Rydia and Phoenix because our stylists are as much a part of our team as the mentor and escort are. They reciprocate my greeting as I sit down and help myself to some pancakes, fresh fruit and sausage, then pour myself a hot mug of spearmint tea, which is a favorite beverage in District 5. Devon clears his throat and addresses us.

"So as Shelby mentioned to both of you when she woke you up, today is the first day of training for the Hunger Games," he said. "My suggestion is to start small with survival techniques, then work your way up to weapon skills and practice everything until you find something you're good with. Save that skill for when you make your private presentation to the Gamemakers, you've got to really impress them if you want a high score so I also suggest combining it with a skill that you're already good at. For example, Will, I hear you're a very good runner, so use your speed in tandem with your most proficient weapon skill. And Mia, I've heard good things about your balance and flexibility. Use what you know, and you'll blow the Gamemakers' minds, I'm sure of it." As soon as breakfast ends Devon directs us to our rooms, where our training uniforms have been laid out on our beds: a black short-sleeved shirt and matching pants designed from a material to allow freedom of movement and soft black boots, a red square with the number 5 on the back and the left sleeve of the shirt. I quickly change and meet Mia at the door of our apartment, and as we step into the hall Shelby waits for us at the elevators to take us down to the training gym.

* * *

><p>When we arrive at the gym, many of the other tributes have arrived including most of the Careers. I should explain what a "Career" is in case you don't know: in Districts 1, 2 and 4, the three most loyal districts to the Capitol, they have children who have been training for the Games much of their lives even though it's illegal to do so. They make training for and potentially winning the Games their career in life so that's why the other districts call these tributes the Careers. They often align themselves early in the arena, staying together in a pack in search of victims before turning on each other.<p>

When the last of the tributes arrive, head trainer Atala points out the various stations, gives us some more guidelines and sends us on our way to get started. The Careers go off to practice with the dangerous weapons almost immediately, and Mia and I go to the survival tactics station just as Devon had advised where we learn how to start fires, protect ourselves from enemies and make shelter. At the knot-tying station, where we go to next, the instructor shows us several different snare traps to catch food and take other tributes by surprise. Mia later sweeps the poisonous substances test while I test my endurance in the obstacle course, and by the time I cross the finish line it is time for lunch.

All the tributes eat lunch together in the center's dining room, however breakfast and dinner are served back on our floor. The Careers of course sit together, other tributes are scattered at other tables. As Mia and I are in the middle of our meal, a female voice asks if she could join us, so we nod and she sits down in the empty seat at our table. It's the girl from District 3 that I remember from the reaping broadcast we watched on our way to the Capitol. The girl looks to be about Mia's age, she is slender with wavy shoulder-length dark hair and the prettiest almond-shaped eyes I've ever seen to suggest some Asian heritage. Her name is Karma as she tells us.

"I saw you run the obstacle course," she says to me, "you are very agile and fluid in your movements." Aside from singing, my other favorite activity is running – every day after I came home from school I would do a five-mile run through the district. "I was wondering, would the two of you like to train with me tomorrow? I was going to do some weapons training anyway, my mentor recommended it." I look at Mia, and she nods.

"We would be honored to train with you," I said. "And maybe this arrangement could hold up in the arena as well, we could look out for one another. Your male partner could join us too if he so chooses." I put my hand out flat on the table, which Mia and Karma put theirs on top of mine.

Districts 3 and 5 have formed an alliance before the Games have even begun.

* * *

><p>"So you've formed an alliance with the tributes from Three?" Devon asks us when we are grilled about our day by him, Shelby, Phoenix and Rydia. "That's a great idea, because the industries that 3 and 5 provide – electronics and power – are similar, you can't have electronics without the power to run them. Stick with them both in the remaining days of training as well as in the arena for as long as you can."<p>

* * *

><p>The second day is just like the first, only Mia and I are joined by Karma and her male counterpart, Darin. We head over to the weapons stations to try out various types and determine which would suit us best, the training assistant showing us various techniques and weapon handling strategies. Mia somehow finds her niche with the crossbow after a while, Karma handles twin daggers with ease, and Darin tosses a spear better than any District 4 tribute that I've seen in the last couple years of watching the Games. As for myself, I've become quite adept with throwing stars, my favorite type is the weapon called the chakram, every time I throw one at the target I hit it dead center.<p>

On day three, all the tributes gather in the dining room for lunch as we await being called for our private presentations for the Gamemakers. We only have fifteen minutes each to impress them with our best skill, and that along with our progress from the previous two days will determine our training score. Dustin from 1 is the first to head out, we are called in district order with the boy tribute preceding the girl. It's not long before the girl from 1 goes, then the pair from 2. Darin leaves an hour later, followed by Karma and the tributes from 4 follow after that. All too soon, my name is called and I follow Atala into the gym where the Gamemakers await. I go over to one of the stations, pick up some throwing stars and show off my techniques, using it in tandem with my adeptness in running and adding some dance into the demonstration. For my final display, I pick up four chakrams, run up the side of the wall while throwing the weapons into the air and somersault back onto the floor, the chakrams hitting the bullseye of four different targets from twenty feet away. A Gamemaker raises his eyebrow in awe, I must have impressed them.

"You may go," says the Head Gamemaker, so I bow to thank them for their time and leave.

* * *

><p>Later after dinner, our team assembles in the sitting room of our living quarters each with a mug of spearmint tea to watch the results of the training scores on TV. I wonder how Mia, Karma and Darin did in their sessions, we're about to find out as the broadcast begins. Naturally the Careers do well, Dustin from 1 scores a 9 as does his female counterpart, the tributes from 2 score 8 and 9 respectively. Darin's portrait comes up for District 3, he pulled up a 7 which isn't bad. Mia and I both smile when Karma pulls a 9. The tributes from 4 don't do as well as the tributes from 1 and 2 since they score a 6 and a 7. Finally, my picture comes up on the screen, and we all wait for the score to be displayed.<p>

Will Schuester, District 5: 10

Shelby claps with delight as Devon and Rydia each give me a high-five, Mia hugs me proudly and Phoenix smiles. Mia's score comes up next.

Mia Delancey, District 5: 9

"Well done, both of you!" Devon says proudly, "you are definitely going to hold up well in the arena now!" The rest of the scores for the other tributes are all over the board, and when a score of 6 goes up for the female tribute from 12, it is apparent that I could be the one to beat.


	4. Interview

The next day dawned bright and sunny in the Capitol, a fresh breeze was blowing. It was a free day for the tributes and their teams with the next day being the eve of the Games and the tribute interviews (usually there would be coaching sessions with the tributes and their mentors, however I had heard that Devon and some of the other mentors wanted to start lining up sponsors right away), so the day off was a much-needed reward for the last four days of hard work that we have all been putting in towards stepping into the arena.

After breakfast, I go back to my room to shower and groom myself, Mia and I have decided to have a picnic in the rooftop garden, the Avox assigned to me had given me a letter from Karma saying she and Darin would come join us. I program an outfit for myself: jeans, a white T-shirt, a loose-fitting black vest and sneakers, and when I open the closet there is something extra with the outfit leaning against the side – an acoustic guitar. Did someone know that I knew how to play or sing? Or was it left behind by a previous District 5 tribute for someone to find? Nonetheless, it would be good to have to provide some entertainment for the picnic. I get dressed, reach for the instrument and sit on the edge of my bed with it in my lap to see if it has been properly tuned, which it has been. I find a case nearby to put it in and shut the lid, then I join Mia in our living room who is holding a large basket in her hand – she has ordered the food for the picnic. Taking the elevator to the rooftop garden, we see Darin and Karma have already arrived, sitting on a large blanket nearby. They wave to us.

* * *

><p>"What a great meal," Darin says as he rubs his stomach with satisfaction. Our picnic included not only food from the Capitol which we had come to enjoy, but foods from our own districts as well. Karma had me try a sweet cake topped with caramel that was popular in District 3 which was very good, and I pour our new friends each a cup of our district's spearmint tea. After I put the small teapot down, I pick up the guitar behind me, set it in my lap and begin to play a song, everyone stopping to listen. But when I start to sing, the girls of our group are instantly mesmerized, Darin looks at me with surprise. When the song ends, the three others applaud.<p>

"I had no idea you could sing so well, Will," Karma says. "I think you may have found your talent should you be crowned victor and go on the tour of Panem." Each and every victor is encouraged to display a talent when they go on the annual Victory Tour through the districts, I had seen quite a few interesting ones when past victors toured through District 5 – even Devon's own talent of creating illusions was incredible, that was what helped him win his Games (the 49th, the year before the second Quarter Quell). A victor should have a talent because after winning the Games, they will need something to fall back on since they would then be unable to work in their district's industry, plus they would be out of future reapings for life (which would apply to me regardless since I would be turning 19 next year).

"He's really good," says Mia, "before he graduated from our school back home in 5, he was the lead male soloist in the choir. Maybe he could sing something when we have the live interviews with Caesar Flickerman tomorrow evening." The evening before the Games, all the tributes are interviewed in three-minute blocks by the legendary interviewer, again it's mandatory viewing like the rest of the annual event so all of Panem could potentially get to see and hear me sing.

"I'm sure if the topic comes up, I would be more than happy to oblige," I say. "Besides, the whole thing with the Hunger Games is giving the audience a good show." I know the whole thing with the Games was tied to the first rebellion and everything from what I learned in school and in previous reapings, but what kind of show is it where people are forced to see children killing one another?

"Hey, could you sing something else?" Darin asks. I nod and quickly think of a song as my fingers adjust themselves to the correct strings.

* * *

><p>The next day, Pandora and Anju are scrubbing me down as they prepare me for the interview being held on the massive stage outside the Training Center. Anju has applied some kind of potion over the lower part of my face which she says will keep facial hair from growing – they want me looking as handsome as ever, Pandora tells me as she runs a free hand through my curly hair. Rydia comes in moments later with the outfit I am to wear tonight: a simple black suit with a black shirt and shoes, a silk necktie and pocket square in hot pink. After I change into the outfit and adjust the tie, Pandora places a black fedora hat on my head before Anju brushes some skin-toned powder onto my face so I wouldn't sweat under the bright lights of the stage. I owe a lot to my prep team and stylist, they made me look incredibly handsome and I feel more confident about myself even with it being the eve of the Games. Thanking my team, who are about to take their seats with Devon, Shelby, Phoenix and Mia's prep team, I walk out into the corridor where the tributes are lining up in their pairs in district order – I see Karma two pairs ahead of myself and Mia (looking amazing in a hot pink strapless dress) wearing an electric blue Chinese-style gown. Before too long, we are filing out of the dressing room area and towards the stage, two comfortable chairs in the center, a huge audience watching from the stands. The lights come up and Caesar Flickerman walks on wearing that shiny blue suit with the tiny twinkling lights that I always remember. This year however, his lips and hair are tinted a creamy orange. The cameras begin to roll and he gets the show started. Again, the eyes of the entire country of Panem are on us.<p>

Like the reaping ceremonies, in the interviews the female tribute precedes the male, so I would be going tenth in the running order. The questions that Caesar poses are standard: what the tribute thinks of the Capitol during their stay, thoughts about life back home, questions about strategy going into the Games, that kind of thing. But sometimes Caesar will ask different questions, so the tribute should always be on their toes for this is another event that determines who gets the best sponsors and who doesn't. I watch as each tribute takes their turn, answering their questions to the best of their ability. Dustin, the Career from 1, is one I watch closely – he talks about taking no prisoners when it comes to the Games. I instantly have a flashback to watching my friend Henri only two Games ago meet his end thanks to a tribute from Dustin's district and shudder: this guy seems vindictive! Karma and Darin give smooth interviews after the tributes from 2 are done and the crowd seems to like them. They are followed by the pair from 4, and then Mia goes for her turn. Those three minutes go by fast, for as soon as I hear the buzzer ending Mia's time, I am walking across the stage to sit in the empty chair next to Caesar.

* * *

><p>"Here with me now is Will Schuester, also from District 5," he announces. I smile and tip the brim of my hat to the audience as my first impression. "So tell me Will, how are you enjoying the Capitol so far?"<p>

"It's unlike any place I've ever seen," I reply, "especially at night. One night after training, I went up to the rooftop garden of the Training Center and just stood at the balcony and admired the lights because they reminded me of back home."

"Ah yes, District Five, the power district," Caesar goes on. "Your costumes for the opening ceremony were most impressive."

"They certainly were," I say. "Rydia, my stylist, and her partner Phoenix, who works with Mia, they were brilliant in coming up with a style that defines our district." I catch them in the crowd sitting next to Devon and give them a wink.

"What I'd like to know next," says Caesar, "is your strategy going into the Games. Your score of ten in training is also impressive."

"My strategy," I say, "is to use my speed and agility to my advantage. I do a five-mile run every day back home, so I hope that it will be an asset when I am competing in the Games along with my shuriken-throwing ability."

"Well then Will, I wish you the best of luck tomorrow," the interviewer says. "One more thing before we wrap up: I heard that you are quite the singer. Would you favor us with a little something?" I knew this would come up, so I stand up in front of the chair facing the audience, take a deep breath and sing a portion of a song acapella.

_Sing with me, sing for the year  
>Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear<br>Sing with me if it's just for today  
>Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away…<em>

_Dream on, dream on  
>Dream on, dream until the dream comes true!<em>

And just as the buzzer sounds, the crowd is going insane. I take my hat off, take a bow and walk off the stage.

"Looks like we have a triple threat here," Caesar says, "speed, agility, and a killer singing voice. Let's hear it for Will from District Five!" The crowd is still going crazy.

And that is how I got the nickname "Triple Threat".

* * *

><p>"Great job on the interviews, you two," Devon says after they wrap up and we're back on our floor inside the Training Center, this is now where our mentor says his final words of encouragement. "Your stylists will wake you both at dawn to help prepare you for what is to come. My final words of advice are to stick together with your allies from Three and get your hands on whatever things you feel are important to your survival – especially water, which is the most important. Good luck to you, I have been proud to be your mentor and I hope to see either one of you at the very end of this thing." He gives each of us a hug and sends us off to bed. As I pull on my pajamas and crawl under the covers, all that's left is to focus on what lays ahead of me the following day.<p> 


	5. Arena

I feel a gentle nudge on my side as I'm snuggled under the blankets of my bed, as my eyes remain closed I hear a gentle voice call my name:

"_Will, it's time to get up. Today's the day."_

I slowly open my eyes and see Rydia standing at the side of the bed, her hand on my shoulder. It is dawn, and I am alone in my room with my stylist – today is the day that I would be going into the arena to put my life on the line against twenty-three other tributes including my district partner and two people from another district that I've come to know as friends even for a short period of time. The tributes always rise early on the day of the Games, which wouldn't start until ten because people in the Capitol are known for waking up late even on a day of such importance. Fully awake now, I sit up in bed as Rydia now takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. Only the stylists are allowed to be with the tributes on Games day from the time they wake up to the time they go to launch.

"Are you nervous?" she asks as she helps me out of bed and gives me a simple pale blue T-shirt and a pair of black pants.

"A little," I admit, pulling off my pajamas and changing into the clothes I've been given. "Going into that arena is going to be scary, but I want to really do my district proud." Fifty-six male tributes from District 5 have gone into the arena before me including my friend Henri only two years prior, and my current mentor Devon has been the only one so far to survive. After doing up my shoes, Rydia takes me by the hand and leads me to the roof, where only two days ago I had a picnic and shared my singing talents with Mia, Darin and Karma – Mia and the others must have left before me by now.

A hovercraft appears overhead and a ladder drops down in front of me. As I start to climb, something freezes me in place on the rungs as a person in a white lab coat appears holding a syringe. The next thing I feel is a poke in my left arm as the technician inserts the black metal tracking device underneath my skin so the Gamemakers can follow me in the arena no matter where I am. The technician leaves, I am unfrozen and free to climb up the ladder into the hovercraft with Rydia right behind me. All of a sudden, the vehicle starts up and begins its journey to the arena, me being comforted by my stylist as she keeps her arm around me and holds me close. At some point, I am given food and a drink, I'm going to need all the energy I need if I'm going to survive the first day.

* * *

><p>When we finally arrive, we are ushered through the catacombs to a small room from which I will be launched into the arena: every tribute has their own Launch Room that is only used once because every arena is different, they become Capitol tourist attractions once the Games are over. I'm waiting for Rydia to come with the rest of the outfit the tributes are to wear inside the arena, sitting down on a bench, seeing my shaking hands in front of me – I have no idea what is going to happen out there. At last, she arrives with a brown jacket with a hood and a pair of black boots and helps me put them on. The jacket itself is made of a material that feels like soft leather but has been infused with a special agent to make it waterproof, the inside lining is padded for extra warmth for cold nights or whatever cold spells the Gamemakers might throw at us. The boots are sort of like the ones I wore as part of my costume for the opening tribute parade, with treads on the soles that are good for all types of terrain and excellent for running. Rydia zips up the front of the jacket and makes sure that my boots fit properly before reaching into the pouch on the side of the belt she is wearing around her waist and pulling out something.<p>

"You're going to need this," she says as she holds out my hands and puts the object into them, it is Emma's necklace, which she had given to me as my district token after the reaping back home. "Look inside the pendant, maybe it will motivate you." I had not noticed that it was a locket, I had always thought that it was just a puffy heart charm. So I open the locket, and my eyes start to fill with tears as I see what is inside. On the left is a photo of Emma, and on the right is a photo of me. It occurs to me that my neighbor and childhood friend sees me as more than that.

She loves me.

"I'm going to do my best to win this," I say as Rydia wipes the tears from my eyes. "For my family, for District 5. But most of all, for her. I want to go home and tell her how much I love her." I tuck the locket into the pocket of my jacket, then listen to what my stylist says to me next.

"Remember Will, I believe in you," she says as she takes my hand and holds on to it tight. "You didn't get the highest training score by chance, you got it because you had confidence in yourself. Just remember what Devon told you and what you've learned, and you will be fine." She opens her arms to me, and we embrace as she kisses me on the forehead.

"Good luck, Triple Threat," she says as we hear the computerized voice informing us that it is time to prepare for launch. I walk over to the metal plate and stand on it as the tribute tube lowers around me. Rydia watches and gives me a small wave as seconds later, the plate begins to rise and I am on my own now until I eventually meet up with my allies again. As the plate finishes its ascent, the tube goes away and I am now standing on a grassy plain under a clear blue sky, one of twenty-four ringed in a circle, the giant Cornucopia sitting about forty yards away from me filled with things that would be essential to my survival. The next thing I hear is the voice of the legendary announcer of the Games, Claudius Templesmith, boom into the void.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games begin!"

* * *

><p>Sixty seconds…<p>

That is how long everyone must stand on their plates before the Games truly begin. They are laced with land mines, so if a tribute were to fall or step off their plate, the land mines would detonate and he would be killed instantly – I've seen it happen a few years ago when a girl from District 6 lost her balance. Only after the sixty seconds are up would the mines be deactivated and we would be free to move. As I wait, I take in my surroundings: tall trees ringed around the clearing, it's a boreal forest like the ones I read about existing in the country to the north of Panem, hopefully there will be some good sources of water. I try to spot my allies in the ring of tributes, Mia is about eight tributes from my right, Karma is clear across the circle and one spot to my left, and Darin is three spaces to the left of Mia. I take no notice of the Careers.

_Thirty seconds…_

I see a couple items at my feet, and about twenty yards away (half the distance between me and the Cornucopia) I see a black bag on what looks to be a belt, it looks interesting. Obviously the Careers will be fighting over some of the choice stuff, the opening bloodbath makes or breaks a tribute's chances, and there will be no doubt that they would be gunning for me because of my high training score.

_Fifteen seconds…_

My heart is pounding out of my chest at this moment, am I going to make it through the games alive? I did make a promise to myself to go home to Emma, so that is what I am going to focus on to motivate me.

_Ten seconds…_

I can do this, I think to myself.

_Five seconds…_

My district is counting on me to pull through for them.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

The gong sounds, I pick up the few items at my feet, and make a run for the Cornucopia.


	6. Alliance

_Thank goodness for those five-mile runs through 5, _I thought as I speed towards the Cornucopia, twenty-three other tributes doing the same. I manage to pick up the belt pouch and a large backpack five yards down from that, then take off in an easterly direction away from the surrounding chaos, the very start of the Games tests a tribute's will to go for those precious survival items or face certain death, almost half the tributes in any given year die at this initial stage so just to survive that first day is a miracle in itself. As soon as I'm a fair distance away, I open the pouch on the belt and look inside to find an ample supply of razor-sharp shuriken – perfect! Adjusting the belt pack around my waist, I put on the backpack and head into the eastern section of the forest, stopping to lean beside a tree to catch my breath. Just within my line of vision is what looks to be a decent-sized spring, so after I've relaxed a bit I go to check it out and my instinct was correct. I sit down beside the spring and open the backpack I picked up at the Cornucopia and take out the contents: an empty canteen, some water purifying tablets, a small hunting knife, a piece of flint for starting fires and a small first-aid kit. There is also a sleeping bag attached to the pack, so with this water source close by I decide that this would be a good place to set up camp for a while. The first thing I do immediately is test the water to see if it needs to be purified, thankfully it doesn't so I fill up my canteen and take a drink – I really need it.

There's a chill in the air, the boreal forests to the north are usually like that. I wonder if my allies are still alive.

* * *

><p>"Will?"<p>

I hear a voice from some distance away as I'm setting up camp, it belongs to Karma. She's alive and survived the bloodbath, thank goodness! What about Darin and Mia though?

"Karma," I call back. "Follow my voice!" I send out little vocal signals so she can find me, and eventually she does, Mia and Darin close behind her – apparently they met up after getting their supplies from the Cornucopia before coming to find me. Darin has a streak of blood on his right cheek, his right hand gripping a spear. Karma wears a belt sheath with two daggers tucked into it, and a crossbow with a small quiver of arrows is strapped to Mia's back. They are all wearing the same outfit as me, but the District 3 tributes are wearing maroon-colored T-shirts compared to the pale blue ones Mia and I are wearing.

"I knew you'd get out of there quickly given your speed," said Mia as she told me about some of the details of the bloodbath, "the Careers were right on some of the others' heels. The girl from 2 was inches away from Darin and scratched his cheek with her fingernails as they fought over the spear he's carrying, so he yanked it out of her hand and got her right in the gut. He actually got the first kill of the Games."

"It was pretty insane," Darin went on. "Dustin, that guy from 1, took out two tributes with one slice of the sword he found, and after the boy from 4 went down, he retreated into the northwest corner of the arena with the remaining Careers. They're probably plotting our doom by now."

"Let them think what they want," I say, "a third of the Career pack is gone and we've more than likely survived the first day. We've got to stick together like our mentors told us, we should stay here for a while because we've got a fresh water source." Immediately the other three go over to the spring, dip their hands into the cool water and take careful drinks, then start to work on helping me set up our campsite. Darin goes to try and find some food, Mia gathers up some wood and puts it into a small pile in front of me circled by a ring of rocks, Karma starts making some snare traps and I take the flint and hunting knife and start a fire. By the time Darin comes back with some berries and some fish on his spear from a large pond north of our site, I've got the fire going. Mia checks the berries that Darin had found and nod, none of them are poisonous. We each grab a stick, put a fish on it and cook it over the fire.

* * *

><p><em>BOOM!<em>

It isn't too long before we hear the first cannon go off, the initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia must be over and the hovercrafts should be there shortly to pick up the dead. Another one fires, and the four of us count the shots, one for each dead tribute. _Three, four, five, six, seven, eight…_ I count softly to myself, and there is about two seconds of silence before two more fire. More silence, then speculation as to who might have fallen aside from the four we know about.

"Ten dead," I say, "and fourteen still left including the four of us and the remaining Careers. I guess we'll find out for sure who they were later tonight." There is a nightly recap over the arena with the faces of the dead each day of the Games, people at home will see the same recap flashed onto their television screens. So people in 3 and 5 will be relieved that it wasn't any of the four of us.

"With that many gone on the first day," muses Darin, "the Gamemakers would either want a fast end to the Games or try to keep us in here as long as possible." Some Games go on for weeks at a time or even a couple of months depending on the circumstances, I don't think I can recall any that were extremely short. As long as the Capitol gets a good show, that's what is important to them – the point is to keep us in the districts in line. Capitol citizens also like to gamble during the event, they place bets on the tribute they think is most likely to survive taking into account training scores and impressions made during the opening parade and the interview. That is also how tributes acquire sponsors – the better the impression you make, the better the rewards from your sponsors as Devon had constantly drilled into my mind, the gifts are given via the tribute's individual mentor. For a more extravagant gift, it's fairly common for a group of people to pool their money, once a sponsor gift is chosen it is delivered to the tribute's mentor who sends it into the arena by parachute. Districts can also send gifts if they have the available funds to do so, I think I've seen a couple of people back home do it, of course it had to be shipped straight to the Capitol.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after I extinguish the fire and we are about to crawl into our sleeping bags to settle down for some sleep, we see the seal of the Capitol appear in the starlit sky – the first of what is sure to be many nightly recaps during the Games, this one will show the first victims from the bloodbath earlier in the day. The anthem plays and finally the images of those who perished flash before our eyes: the girl from 2 who Darin caught with his spear (all of 1 is alive as well as the four of us from 3 and 5 which we already knew), the boy from 4, the girl from 6, both from 7, the boy from 9 (so all of 8 is still in it), the boy from 10, both from 11 and the girl from 12. After the seal goes away, we decide to each take an hour of watch to make sure that nobody like the remaining Careers or nothing like the Capitol's mutts comes to hunt us down while the others sleep, so at least one of us each turn will be armed. I agree to take the first watch, and I pull my hood over my head to keep warm – there's a chill in the air tonight.<p>

"I'll wake you up in an hour," I say to Mia, "get some sleep." As the other three begin to close their eyes, I sing quietly to myself as I pull Emma's locket out of the pocket of my jacket and think of her, of my promise.


	7. Setback

**Day 3**

Morning has broken as me and my allies rouse ourselves from our sleep. It is now the third day of the Games, yesterday being quite uneventful despite one death – the Gamemakers sent a wicked cold spell into the arena that claimed the life of the boy from District 8, he had died of extreme hypothermia. I hear tell that he had taken his jacket off for a brief moment as the cold spell hit. The cannon fired five minutes later and we saw his picture later that night.

The spring near our campsite has frozen a bit thanks to the cold snap, so I use the hunting knife to cut a decent-sized hole in the ice so I can get to the water underneath to refill my canteen. If this was the Gamemakers' way of re-creating the northern areas of the country to the north of Panem, then for the moment it was working – nobody, not even my allies, knew how long it was going to last. Just as I finish my task, I hear Karma's voice back at our campsite and rush to her side, she is pointing at the sky. Sure enough, four silver parachutes descend towards us, which means we've received gifts from sponsors sent to us by Devon and the District 3 mentors. Each parachute floats towards its respective receiver, the one that lands in my hands has just a little weight on it, Karma receives a parachute that feels warm to the touch. We sit down on our sleeping bags and begin to untie the bolts of silver cloth now sitting in our laps. Looking over at Mia, I see that she has received a pair of leather gloves to keep her hands warm. Darin's package contains a set of blankets, and Karma has received a set of cups and a jug that is filled with hot chocolate, a popular drink in the Capitol and one that we have all come to enjoy in the week leading up to the Games. Finally untying the last knot of my parachute, I am staring back at two beautifully crafted chakrams – one with a rounded blade, the other with three sharp curving blades connected by a central ring, the blades covered in a protective material to keep myself from being cut. I attach the gifts to the belt around my waist near the pack of shuriken. Karma hands me a cup and fills it with the beverage from the jug. I blow on it and take a sip, it feels so smooth and creamy on my tongue as it begins to warm my body all the way down.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 5<strong>

It's almost been a week since the Games began, and there has been a shift in the temperature – it has not been as cold as the last couple of days have been, so we decide to stow our gear in our backpacks, Mia had managed to go back to the Cornucopia the previous day and pull three extra packs from it with very little danger. We awoke that morning to the sound of two cannons firing from what seems to be the northwest corner of the arena – the stronghold of the Careers.

"Who could it be?" Darin asks.

"I don't know," replies Mia, "but if the Careers decide to come over here we can't let them find us. We should think about finding another spot to set up camp and make sure they don't find our tracks." Karma nods in agreement, we have been camping in this area for five days after all. And Mia was right: what if the Careers managed to find our campsite? They could take us all out in one shot knowing how ruthless and dangerous they were.

"Especially since they'd be gunning for me," I say, "because of my training score. I say we move on as well, but let's make sure they find no trace of us." After double-checking the packs to make sure that we have everything, we erase all traces of our campsite before leaving the area that we had called our base for nearly a week. But not before we hear a faint growling sound nearby. Darin turns around and sees three pairs of eyes staring back at him, the leader's teeth bared.

"Snowy wolf mutts!" Darin cries, instantly recognizing them as Capitol creations. "Run!" He picks up his spear and the four of us run as quickly as we can out of the wooded area, across the open grass plain past the Cornucopia and into the southwestern corner of the forest hoping that they were far out of sight. Mia falls to her knees to catch her breath.

"We're safe," she says between breaths, "hopefully they stay back in that part of the arena."

"Sure, we're safe of the mutts," I say, "but we're two compass points away from the Career camp. We really need to stay on our guard." A light snowfall begins as we set up camp, Karma finds two decent-sized trees and throws a large tarp that she had been carrying in her pack over some sturdy branches to make a tent. Darin once again goes off in search of food, Mia spreads the blankets on the forest floor under the tarp and I work on getting the fire going.

That night, in the daily death report, we found out that the boy from 6 and the girl from 9 had been the two casualties that the cannons had signaled earlier in the day. With them gone, over half the tributes had been wiped out in less than a week, leaving just eleven of us. I know that when they get to the final eight, they start interviewing people back home – when Henri made it far just two Games ago, they interviewed me as his closest friend. Then I watched him die at top seven.

Who will speak for me if I make it that far?

* * *

><p><strong>Day 10<strong>

It has been five days since our encounter with the mutts, and nothing of significance has happened – no deaths, no surprises as of yet from the Gamemakers. Every Hunger Games does have its slow periods, this must definitely be one of them. But that afternoon would hold a setback for our four-way alliance.

Karma and I had been sent to search for some things to replenish our food stores, Darin and Mia had insisted on staying back to keep an eye on things in case something happened. As we checked some berry bushes (of course making sure that none of the berries we were picking were poisonous – Karma had made sure of that), we heard voices from nearby. I jumped behind the bush, pulling Karma out of the way and stopped to listen.

"I tell you, Giselle," a male voice says, "if one of us wants to win this thing, we have to take out the one person that stands in our way. Once he and his allies are gone, we can hunt down the others at our leisure before we pick each other off."

"You mean that curly-haired guy from Five?" a female voice responds, probably the girl named Giselle. "For someone from that district to have the highest training score is just wrong, I mean we have been training for this thing most of our lives."

_It's the Careers,_ I think to myself. _I knew they'd be gunning for me!_

"Wouldn't it be better," another female voice says, "to pick off the allies first before going after the main attraction? High training score or not, not having his friends around could possibly weaken him and make him an easy target."

"Now you're talking sense, Shoshandra," says the male voice. "Find their camp and take them out, I can't have one of them going to find him. I'm going back to our camp to check on our other male ally, just make sure the job is done or else I'll turn on either one of you!"

"Yes, Dustin," says Giselle, then the three part ways. Once the Careers have cleared out, Karma and I stay behind the bush for a while trying to process what we have just heard.

"I think Darin and Mia could be in trouble," I say, and Karma nods. A few minutes later, we hear screaming coming from our campsite – it is Mia's scream. Jumping up from behind the bush, Karma and I race back to our camp, both reaching for our weapons: Karma unsheathes her daggers and I pull some of my shuriken out of its pouch. As we get closer, we see a blonde-haired girl who I assume is Giselle and a dark-haired girl who I assume is Shoshandra attacking Darin and Mia, Giselle plunging a knife into Mia's chest while Shoshandra spears Darin in the back. The shock on my face reminds me once again of how a District 1 tribute ended Henri's life, and all of a sudden that shock turns to anger. Karma tosses one of her daggers at Shoshandra as they try to get away, nailing her right in the back of the neck. I throw six shuriken in succession, each one lodging deep into Giselle's back. The two collapse onto the ground on top of each other, twitching a little from their injuries – Shoshandra seems to have also impaled herself onto one of the exposed shuriken blades stuck in Giselle. Five minutes later, two cannons fire.

* * *

><p>Karma and I are now cradling our district partners in our laps, they haven't succumbed to their injuries just yet but we both know that their cannons will fire soon enough. Mia weakly grabs my hand, her eyes flutter slowly.<p>

"Will…" she says as her breath shortens, "thank… you. Good… friend, wish I… befriended you… sooner." I gently stroke her hair with my free hand as tears start to fall from my eyes.

"I never thought I'd meet a district partner as brave as you have been," I say. Another cannon fires, Karma lays Darin down on the ground and takes a few steps back, he is gone. Mia whispers one last request as one last tear slides down her cheek before her eyes start to close.

"Sing… for… me…" I wipe a tear from my eye, her hand is still in mine. A song instantly comes to my mind as I begin to sing in a gentle voice.

_Come stop your crying, it will be all right  
><em>_Just take my hand, hold it tight  
><em>_I will protect from all around you,  
><em>_I will be here, don't you cry_

_For one so small, you seem so strong  
><em>_My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm,  
><em>_This bond between us can't be broken,  
><em>_I will be here, don't you cry_

_Cause you'll be in my heart,  
><em>_Yes you'll be in my heart,  
><em>_From this day on, now and forever more_

I feel her starting to slip away, her hand falls out of mine.

_You'll be in my heart,  
><em>_No matter what they say,  
><em>_You'll be here in my heart..._

The cannon fires.

_Always._

* * *

><p>Karma and I hold each other close as the hovercrafts appear. They lift Mia's and Darin's bodies up and then disappear into the distance, after which I hear birds singing nearby – birds that are repeating what I had just sung, they must be mockingjays. I know that they often imitate the songs of those voices that they like, so they probably liked mine enough. Later that night when the Capitol seal appears in the moonlit sky, we see Mia's and Darin's pictures along with Giselle (from 1) and Shoshandra (from 4), and we say our final goodbyes to our district partners before we go to sleep.<p>

Now we have more to fight for in these Games.


	8. Sacrifice

**Day 11**

The morning after the loss of our district partners, Karma and I set about restoring our campsite. We re-pitch the tent, set up our fire circle and put Mia's and Darin's weapons aside until we eventually decide what to do with them. I never thought I would see another person close to me killed at the hands of a District 1 tribute, Mia and I didn't know each other well before the Games (she was one behind Emma's year at school), but in the week leading up to the event as well as the ten days I spent with her in the arena, I felt that she had become a good friend.

"Who's left?" Karma asks me.

"Us, Dustin, the boy from 2, the girls from 8 and 10 and the boy from 12," I reply. "Seven of us left and we haven't even hit the two-week mark yet." It sort of felt like vindication after I "eliminated" Giselle from the competition, but even in some part of my mind there was a little bit of guilt – yes, the Games are in place for the Capitol to teach a lesson to the districts that they should never fall out of line, but not at the cost of innocent lives being taken. They have no choice but to die so only one can live.

Today the Gamemakers have made it a little warmer than usual, so we take off our jackets and pile them on top of what is now our weapons reserve – I'm sure that Darin and Mia would have wanted us to use them in some way. Two-thirds of the Careers are now gone, somehow I have this feeling that it is going to eventually come down to me and Dustin facing off in one final showdown to the death. I can't think that far ahead already, anything can happen that could stretch the length of the Games out further, everyone knows it. Having finished my camp tasks, I sit down on the ground beside the fire and pull out Emma's locket from my pants pocket, I had moved it from my jacket a couple of days ago. I open the pendant and look at the photos of myself and my best friend back home.

"Is that your district token?" Karma asks as she sits down beside me. I nod and hold out the locket to her so she can see the pictures.

"It's from Emma, my friend back home," I explain. "We've always been quite close, we're neighbors in District 5 and we grew up together, so we've been best friends ever since. She was wearing the necklace on the day of our district's reaping, so when she came to say her goodbyes after I had been chosen as a tribute, she gave it to me. But it wasn't until the day the Games started that my stylist, Rydia, had shown me that it was a locket, and when I saw the photos of her and myself it hit me that Emma had always seen me as more of a friend – this was my motivation to make it through." Karma extends her wrist out to me and shows me a silver bracelet on which a charm in the shape of a flower dangles.

"This is my token," she says, "given to me by my mentor, April – ever since she won the forty-seventh Games she has given a charm bracelet to every District 3 female tribute, no charm she has given is the same. I have two younger sisters named Jasmine and Lily and an older sister named Lotus, all named after flowers. I like to think of this charm as a reminder of what I'm fighting for."

"It's an orchid blossom," I say as I look at the enameled charm, "Emma's favorite flower. I remember one time when I went over to her house her mom had a vase of them on her kitchen table. She's always liked them."

"She sounds like a wonderful person," Karma replies, "I wish I had someone special in my life outside my own family, they were devastated when I was reaped. Should you go on to win the Games, Will, what is the first thing you're going to do when you get home?"

"The first thing I'll do when I step off that train," I say with a smile, "is tell Emma how much I love her. I miss her so much, so much in fact I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to win."

All of a sudden, Karma goes silent, and unbeknownst to me she is contemplating a plan. Would it eventually help me, or hinder me? A cannon fires across the arena, another tribute must have died – who and why is completely on our minds. That night, we learn it was the girl from 10, bringing us down to the last six.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 12<strong>

It is nearly dawn, Karma and I are crouched down under the tail of the Cornucopia with a couple of large scraps of burlap covering each of us so another tribute would think that we were a sack of supplies that had been picked over. Immediately after the death recap, Claudius had announced that the Gamemakers have organized a feast in the central clearing at dawn and there would be food involved. Both of us had decided to go because of the food (we needed more), both knowing that a feast would not only bring the remaining tributes together, but could also incite another bloodbath. And with six of us left, Karma and I decide that we would be the first there, grab as much food as we could and clear out before the other tributes including the last two Careers descended.

"I think we need to use your speed, Will," Karma whispers. "Do you think you can take on this task by yourself?"

"I can try," I whisper back, pulling off my cover to see the first rays of sun touch the arena and the ground open up about twenty yards east of our location. A table stands draped with a red satin cloth, on it from what I can see are six covered trays of equal size, I can make out a number on one of them – there must be one for each tribute that corresponds to the number of his or her district. I run towards the table, and sure enough the trays are labeled 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 12. I pick up both the 3 and 5 trays and head back quickly, balancing a tray in each hand. I give Karma her tray and we clear out back to our camp as we planned. Off in the distance, we could see two other tributes eyeing the table. We lift off the covers of our trays to find not only food, but one other item that could potentially get us through the final days of the Games – Karma picks up a whistle and I find a tube of medical ointment. But suddenly, I get an idea.

"With the Careers preoccupied with the feast," I say, "maybe this would be a good time to check out their camp and see what we can each pick up for ourselves before we decide what to do with the food we got from the feast. We could even set a trap to fool Dustin into thinking his ally from 2 had something to do with it."

"It's worth a shot," Karma says, and as we head towards enemy territory we hear another cannon fire – someone must have initiated a killing at the feast. We must work quickly if we want to scout the camp before the Careers return.

* * *

><p>When we finally arrive at the Career camp, we find it well stocked – after their pack retreated to this area on the first day they stockpiled their supplies from the Cornucopia and separated them into different areas (food, weapons and survival items). I find a coil of rope resting under a tree, suspend one end to a sturdy branch and quickly make a snare trap that's concealed by snow as Karma loots one thing from each of the stockpiles. We both run away to the clump of bushes that we hid behind before Mia and Darin were assaulted and hide again as we see two pairs of feet rush by: it's probably the Careers. Karma gets a closer look to see Dustin trailing the boy from 2, each with a tray in their hand. I hear a yelp and a clatter some time later, one of them must have dropped their tray and spilled its contents on the ground. Popping my head up just a little, I see from my vantage point the boy from 2 is hanging upside down, his foot caught in the snare trap I had made.<p>

"Idiot!" I hear Dustin exclaim. "I knew I should have handled the feast myself so the camp could stay guarded, and now you're hanging upside down from a tree and parts of our supplies are missing! You call yourself a Career?"

The boy says nothing. The next thing I see is Dustin unsheathing his sword and pointing it at his fellow Career tribute, I can guess there is obvious rage in his eyes. I don't see what happens next, all I hear is a sickening shriek, then a thump on the ground followed by a cannon firing.

Perhaps the trap worked too well.

* * *

><p>Back at our camp, Karma looks unusually calm as she looks at the one remaining dagger clenched in her hand.<p>

"Anything on your mind?" I ask. She sticks the dagger into the ground, takes the charm bracelet off her wrist and puts it into my hand before closing my fingers around it like Emma did with her locket after the reaping. I look at her with a puzzled expression.

"I saw what happened with the Careers when you turned away," she says, "Dustin practically turned on his own ally out of rage. I also remember what was said the day Darin and Mia were killed – they wanted to take out the allies before going after you. I won't let them take me." She picks up the dagger.

"That being said," she continues, "I want you to win, Will. You deserve to win, when I first saw you run the gauntlet on the first day of training I saw something special in you – not just courage, but a strong heart. I want you to go home and honor your promise to your friend, give that bracelet to her as a reminder of how special she is to you." It suddenly dawns on me what she's trying to do, what her plan is.

_She's going to sacrifice herself so I can move on towards the end, _I think to myself. _She wants me to win so I can fulfill my promise to see Emma again._

"You don't have to do this," I say, but Karma tries to reassure me. She grips the dagger with both hands now and points the blade towards her chest, directly at her heart.

"Promise me something more," she says, "keep singing, I loved hearing your voice. Should you win and go on the tour, when you're in District 3 sing something in our memory. And please, beat that Career and win this whole thing – Darin, Mia and I will be thinking of you." I feel a tear sliding down my face as I watch her plunge the dagger into her heart and fall to the ground, I immediately grab her hand, it feels cold.

"Thank you," I say, "for everything." Moments later, her cannon fires.

* * *

><p>After Karma's body is taken away, I am left alone with my thoughts as I sit by the fire I had just made. Sure, I had seen tributes in previous Games take their own lives, but not in the way that Karma had done – she gave herself up so she wouldn't be a Career target, and so I could make it a fight to the finish. That took true courage in my opinion. So later that night when the death recap occurs, I look up to the sky and see her picture along with the pictures of the boys from 2 and 12, taking the Games down to the final three.<p>

_I am not alone_, I think as the recap fades out, _Karma is with me in spirit, as are Mia and Darin. And I'm not going to let them down._


	9. Showdown

**Day 13**

A silver parachute floats down in my direction just as I open my eyes and stir in my sleeping bag by the campfire pit, it seems to be carrying a huge load – a basket. It has almost been two weeks in the arena and I've received a few sponsor gifts already, I am under the impression that Devon had strategically spaced out the deliveries to coincide with the times he thought I needed them the most. The basket lands softly at my feet, and I bend down to untie it from the parachute. A note is attached, so I remove it from the basket and read it.

_Dear Will,_

_Your sponsors and I congratulate you for making it this far, and with it being so close to the end, we hope that what is in this basket will keep up your energy as you're going to need everything you have left. You have made me as well as your friends and family in District 5 proud, and I sincerely hope that I see you on the other side as the last man standing._

_You can do it, make it happen!_

_Devon_

When I open the basket, I find a variety of food that I enjoyed during my pre-Games stay in the Capitol, a full three courses to last a whole day including hot chocolate and spearmint tea. The hot foods and drinks are in insulated packages to keep them warm, I pull out the large breakfast container which is filled with pancakes, fruit, sausages and scrambled eggs, pour myself a cup of hot chocolate using the ones Karma got from her first sponsor gift (they had been left behind with the other gifts and the weapon stockpile) and begin to eat.

After breakfast, I put the empty container back in the basket and start doing some exercises to build up my strength and agility over the next few hours as the end of the Games is in sight with only three left – the death of either Dustin or the girl from 8 could come at any time. I run laps from my camp to the Cornucopia and back, practice with Darin's old spear, break in my chakrams and lift large rocks. The one thing I always do during these personal training sessions is keep singing, I seem to find a different song for each exercise and it helps me greatly. I start to feel snowflakes on my face in the middle of my lap running, looks like the Gamemakers have something up their sleeves, perhaps some kind of freak blizzard? I take shelter in the tent and begin having my lunch when I hear yet another cannon fire marking the death of the twenty-second tribute of the Games, meaning by the end of the day there will be two left standing: myself and one other. I won't be sure who it will be until tonight's death recap. If it's Dustin, then it's the girl from 8 I have left to face. But if it's the other way around, it's the showdown I knew I would eventually have to partake in.

_I'm sure the viewers in the Capitol would want the Career and the "triple threat" to face off, _I think to myself, _it would probably make for a better show than if I were to face off against the girl from District 8._

At least I have real things to fight for: my fallen allies, my family and friends back home, and especially Emma. Who, or what, would a Career have to fight for that wasn't superficial?

Later that night, I get my answer in the death recap: it's the girl from 8. And the next morning, the true battle of the Hunger Games would begin.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 14<strong>

I wake up to the voice of Claudius Templesmith booming through the arena:

"Greetings to the final two competitors of the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games. This is the moment that you have been training for, give us a show that all of Panem will remember for years to come. Good luck to you both, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

_So they want a show, _I think to myself, _I'll give them a show. _I try to mentally prepare myself for what is about to happen as I eat what will more than likely be my last breakfast in the arena. After two weeks of fighting the elements, dodging the Gamemakers and evading the Careers, this is what it all comes down to. I remember Devon's words in the letter he had attached to my last sponsor gift, crawl out of the tent and head away from my campsite back towards the open clearing where the Cornucopia is, my feet treading softly through the snow that had accumulated overnight.

I have one shot, I have to make it count.

* * *

><p>The snowflakes continue to fall as I stand in the clearing near the Cornucopia, eyes focused, one hand on the chakrams attached to my belt pack as I await my opponent. Karma's bracelet and Emma's locket are safely zipped in my pants pocket so I don't lose them. And then I see him coming towards me from his corner of the forest into the clearing: slicked-back dark hair, sword drawn, blue eyes drawn into a death glare. He stops when he reaches me, and as we stare each other down (him picturing daggers being shot at me, myself somehow eerily calm), the eyes of the entire nation are upon us. Panem is about to get a show they will never soon forget, as Claudius reminded us to do.<p>

This is the moment of truth.

"All right, District Five," says Dustin after what seems to be like an eternity in that stare-down (Careers somehow have this habit of forgetting names and calling opponents by their district numbers), "here's how it's going to go down. You will drop all your weapons, you will surrender and I will kill you, thus removing my greatest opponent from the picture allowing me to win and return to District 1 a god. You know your little friends aren't here to save you now."

_Who does he think he is, giving me orders? _I think to myself. _He doesn't know what Karma did for me. And besides, isn't this supposed to be a show?_

"I will never surrender," I say in even tones, my eyes still focused on him. "It proves that you are only fighting for something superficial. Me, I've got a lot to fight for: my family and friends back home, those who believed in me. And my allies, two of which you orchestrated the killings of, who are with me in spirit. If you think for one second that I'm going to go down that easy, then you're absolutely mistaken. I'm not going down without a fight!" What I know about the Careers is that what they have in size and power they lack in speed, I saw them charge towards the Cornucopia when the Games began and they didn't look to be fast – I even saw two of them run the gauntlet during the training sessions, none of them posted a fast time. This is something I know will give me an advantage. Another thing about the Careers: never let them see you afraid.

"So," says my opponent, "since you decided not to see things my way, I guess we're going to have to make it a little difficult. Regardless, it's going to make my victory a lot sweeter." He charges toward me gripping his sword and starts to thrust the blade towards me, I quickly dodge the strikes as I throw a fistful of snow in his face. Just as I knew, he's not that fast. Dustin roars in rage as with each thrust of the sword I keep dodging the strikes, I know I'm going to have to make a move soon if I want to make it out of the arena alive, my strategy right now is to wear him down a little before making a strike of my own. For a moment I get the wind knocked out of me when he punches me in the stomach, staggering backwards until my back hits the side of the Cornucopia. Taking some deep breaths, I find my second wind.

"This is the end, District Five," says Dustin as I'm pinned against the Cornucopia, the tip of his sword pointing a few inches in front of my chest. Now is when I have to make a move or I will be dead in a matter of seconds. As the Career inches closer, I close my eyes, count to three silently and slide out of the way, the next thing I hear is a loud clanging noise: the blade of the sword has hit the giant horn and fallen out of Dustin's hand and onto the ground, the quickly falling snow burying it in seconds. This is my chance.

_This is for you guys, _I think to myself as I look up towards the sky, thinking of Darin, Karma and Mia.

"Come and get me!" I shout from behind the Cornucopia's tail, a chakram in each hand. Somehow Dustin manages to retrieve the sword and accepts my challenge, the blizzard intensifying. I see him coming barely, so this is the move I need to make. Borrowing from my private session in front of the Gamemakers, I run up the high side of the structure, close my eyes, throw the chakrams in the air and somersault back onto the ground. Not knowing what had happened while I was in flight, I open my eyes when I hit ground to see the result.

There, lying on the ground with blood on the snow, one of the curving blades of the three-blade chakram lodged in his stomach and the round-blade one in his chest, is Dustin.

* * *

><p>My knees give out from under me as I sink to the ground exhausted. Did I really do it? I'm counting the seconds in my head from the time of impact to when I will get my answer. A minute passes, then two, then three until finally after four and a half minutes the cannon fires. My eyes begin to fill with tears, only this time they are tears of happiness that I am sure all of District 5 and probably those in the Capitol who are supporting me are sharing – I'm guessing that viewers would want to see their lone survivor go through some kind of emotion before the declaration of the victor. I have survived through two weeks of being in the arena, it's not official until I hear the trumpets. Through my tears I see the hovercraft appear to take Dustin's body away, and once it clears out, the trumpets blare a minute or so later.<p>

_I did it Emma, _I think to myself with a smile, _I'm coming home._ The voice of Claudius Templesmith booming around me and across Panem confirms everything.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games, Will Schuester! I give you… the tribute of District Five!"


	10. Victor

I slowly open my eyes and see lights all around me, I feel a little woozy and rub a sore spot on my left arm where perhaps my tracker used to be because I can't feel it anymore – it must have been taken out when I was unconscious, there is a fading scar left. As I ease up into a sitting position, I am now draped in a blue paper robe, blankets covering my body, the beeping of a machine next to me with a line hooked up to my right arm to probably monitor my vital signs. The last thing I remember was falling to my knees in the arena and crying in both relief and happiness after Dustin's body was carried out before the trumpets and Claudius confirmed the end of the Games and me as the last person alive.

_I'm alive. I've just won the Hunger Games. I am going home to District 5, to my friends and family… to Emma._

I must be in the hospital wing of the Training Center back in the Capitol, so something must have knocked me out between the time the hovercraft picked me up from the arena and now. I can only wonder what District 5 is feeling as they prepare the celebrations that will mark my homecoming, or Rydia as she prepares my public appearance wardrobe, or even Devon and Shelby who are going over the final interview questions and arranging the banquet with my sponsors that would take place at President Snow's mansion after the official victor's crowning ceremony, the latter of which is mandatory viewing across Panem. An Avox brings me a light meal on a tray, even after a huge breakfast in the arena it is most welcome and I complete the entire tray in minutes. When it is free for me to move around after the line is unhooked from my arm, I get out of bed and notice my tribute uniform has been folded neatly at the foot of it, I am to wear it when I meet my team, so I carefully take the paper robe off and pull on the outfit, feeling the small bulge in my pocket where the locket and bracelet are still secure. I do up my boots, then walk out of the hospital and into the corridor.

* * *

><p>Turning the corner, I finally see some familiar faces: that of my escort, mentor and stylist. Shelby has obviously been crying, her makeup is smeared a little – it is fairly obvious that she had been crying out of pride because she is now the escort of a victor. Rydia looks on with pride as I enter Devon's embrace, one hand of my mentor ruffling my hair.<p>

"Well done, Will," he says to me, "I knew you could do it. You have been one of the most courageous tributes I have ever known in the eight years that I have been a mentor, I bet Mia would have been proud of you too."

"I'm sure she is," I reply, "she's with me in spirit, as are Karma and Darin from 3. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here now." My mind flashes back to when I first met Karma at training, how she had told me about seeing me run the gauntlet. Her sacrifice took a lot of courage, but she had wanted me to win in the end.

"Time for you to get sorted out for the victory celebration," says Devon as he entrusts me to Rydia, "I need to get Shelby here cleaned up. It wouldn't do for her to not have her makeup and such just right." He leads Shelby away as Rydia takes my hand and leans her head against my shoulder as we make our way towards the tributes' elevators and up to the fifth floor. When we arrive back in our apartment, Anju and Pandora are all over me, kissing and hugging – Anju's eyes a little blotchy from crying. Is it possible that the reaction I had to my victory had affected a lot of people? So after all the hugging and kissing, my prep team immediately sets to work on getting me showered, scrubbed and groomed for the ceremony, all the while talking about their favorite parts of the Games. As Pandora runs some gel through my hair, Anju fixes herself up a bit before working on me. When Rydia walks back into my room wearing her ceremony outfit and approves of the job the prep team has done, she shoos them out so they can get ready for the show and lays my outfit on the bed. It is quite simple: a white dress shirt, a black vest, black tie, black pants and shoes.

"It's to honor your love of music," she says, "since black and white are the colors of the keys on a piano. And I wanted to keep it simple since you are the focus right now and not the clothes. I loved hearing you sing during your first interview with Caesar, maybe sometime soon I can hear you again."

"Maybe during the Victory Tour," I say. She helps me with the tie once I have the shirt, pants and shoes on, then I put the vest on over it and fasten the buttons. The show is due to start very soon, so Rydia and I walk together towards the door of the apartment, a female Avox standing nearby bowing to me.

* * *

><p>Above me in the ceremony venue, I hear Caesar Flickerman starting the show. It seems unreal that I last heard him over three weeks ago during the tribute interviews. I am standing below the stage on an elevator that would lift me up onto the stage itself, as the victor they want me to have some kind of grand entrance as I'm re-introduced to the Capitol crowd and to Panem as the winner of the Games. All of District 5 will probably be watching this in the square on the giant screens outside the Justice Building while they prepare the celebrations for my homecoming. I listen as Caesar introduces my team: first Pandora and Anju, followed by Shelby and Rydia and then Devon. Each member of the team gets a huge reception from the crowd, I can probably imagine my prep team soaking up all the attention and Shelby smiling demurely – I will more than likely be watching this whole ceremony on the train ride back home. And then finally, I hear my introduction.<p>

"And now ladies and gentlemen," I hear him say, "let's bring forth the main attraction. When we first met him almost a month ago, he was just another male tribute. But since then, he has impressed many with his talent, his courage and his determination. I now present to you for the first time, the victor of the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games… the Triple Threat from District Five, Will Schuester!" The lift begins to rise and I can hear the roar of the crowd as they are all on their feet. I smile and wave to them when I am fully standing on the stage, the ovation lasts several minutes before I take my seat in the empty chair beside Caesar.

"So," he says, "the first thing I would like to say is congratulations on a magnificent performance. Did you think you actually had a chance to win?"

"In the beginning, I really didn't think I did," I say, "especially seeing some of the other tributes during the training sessions. But before I went into the arena, my confidence just started to grow, that's when I knew I had just as much a chance as everyone else."

"I must say that you had me in tears when you sang that song to your district partner before her death," Caesar says as he touches his hand to his heart, "the way you held her close got me right here. What was going through your mind at the time?"

"I didn't get a chance to get to know Mia before we were reaped into the Games," I reply, "but during the week leading up to our entrance into the arena, we became pretty good friends. To see someone die like that in your arms, the song I sang was the first one that entered my mind at that moment. It was appropriate for that circumstance, don't you agree?"

"Undoubtedly," says the interviewer. "Another emotional moment was right at the very end when before the final cannon fired, you fell to your knees, and then you started to cry after the firing. Tell us about that."

"Of course," I say. "After somersaulting off the side of the Cornucopia and throwing my weapons in the air in mid-flight, I had my eyes closed at that moment and had no idea my opponent was down – it was only after I touched ground that I found him lying in the snow in the middle of the blizzard. So much was going through my mind at that moment that my knees gave out from under me and I fell to the ground. And after the cannon fired, I couldn't help it, I was overcome with the fact that now I can go back to District 5, back to my friends and family as well as the people who supported me. I do have to hand it to the Gamemakers though, they set up what was for sure an impressive final showdown in the arena." Applause fills the room as I am now directed to the victor's throne set up at center stage, the interview chairs cleared away as Caesar introduces the main show: the recap of the Games. It is to last three hours and is required viewing for the whole of Panem. The first part of the recap highlights the pre-Games stuff like the reapings, chariot rides, training scores and interviews, reaction shots from the victor are shown on the corner of the screen from time to time. The bulk of the presentation is all the action in the arena, and for the first time I see myself running from the Cornucopia with my supplies during the opening bloodbath, Darin spearing the girl from 2 during their fight over the weapon and other things I've never seen before. They play Mia's death scene in full, my eyes fill with tears as I watch myself singing to my fallen partner. I see what happened at the feast, Karma's sacrifice, and the snowy final showdown between myself and Dustin, the last shot of the recap is of me falling to my knees before the final cannon fires.

The Panem anthem plays and I stand, coming towards me is President Snow with a young girl dressed in white following close behind, the victor's crown sitting on a pillow in her small hands. He stops in front of me, picks up the crown and places it on my head.

"As president of Panem," he says to me, "it is my duty and honor to officially crown you, Will of District Five, victor of the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games. Congratulations on a most spectacular performance."

"Thank you, sir," I say as the crowd gives me another loud ovation.

* * *

><p>After the crowning, I am ushered to Snow's mansion for the victory banquet. I meet with my sponsors for the first time who regale me with their favorite moments and clamor for photo opportunities, I thank them in return for their generosity and support. One of them takes me aside and tells me that all my sponsors came together after I was declared victor and contributed to one last gift which would be waiting for me in my new home in the Victor's Village.<p>

By the time I finally head to bed, it is early morning in the Capitol. I close my eyes, the sounds of the continuing celebrations in the streets lulling me to sleep.


	11. Homecoming

Opening my eyes, I see the bracelet and the necklace sitting on my bedside table, someone must have taken it out of the pocket of my tribute outfit. I can't wait to give them to Emma when I return home to District 5 today, I missed her and my friends and family terribly since leaving to take part in the Games. I hop out of bed, take a long shower, brush my teeth and dress in a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt under a black blazer and black sneakers, remembering to tuck the locket and bracelet in my pocket before going to the dining room for my final breakfast in the Capitol, the events of last night and the past month fresh in my mind.

"Good morning," I say to Devon, Shelby and Rydia who are already gathered in the dining room as the Avoxes serve breakfast, they greet me with warm smiles. Only Shelby and Devon will be coming back home with me, Rydia will be staying behind in the Capitol with my prep team to start planning my public appearance wardrobe for the upcoming Victory Tour – she will eventually arrive in the district before the tour is scheduled to begin. I pour myself a glass of juice and help myself to some of the food when Devon starts to speak.

"I must say, that backflip you did off the Cornucopia at the very end of the Games was most impressive," he says as Shelby and Rydia both nod. "What was your inspiration to do that?"

"You know as well as I do that the purpose of the Games is to give a good show," I reply, "and if I wanted to end it all, I wanted to go out with a bang. Incidentally, me rebounding off the Cornucopia like that was something I borrowed from my private presentation to the Gamemakers on the final day of training – I ran up the side of the wall with my weapons and threw them into the air in mid-flight."

"I was wowed by that," Rydia says as she flicks a strand of green hair back into place, "I bet there were hordes of Capitol citizens betting heavily on you. Never can tell with these Games sometimes. Anyway, I've already started working on your wardrobe for the tour and I can't wait to come to District 5 to show you." Shelby then receives word that the car is waiting outside to take us to the train station as breakfast ends, so we get up from our seats and I give Rydia a hug. We break out of the embrace, and then she walks over to where something is leaning against the wall and holds it out to me – it's the guitar I found in my room two days before the Games in its black case, the same one I played during the picnic on the roof with Darin, Mia and Karma.

"I just had this feeling that this should be yours," she says as she locks my fingers around the handle of the case, "that way you will always have music with you even when times get tough. And every time you play it, think of your allies, I'm sure they would have wanted it this way." She is right, my allies were part of the reason that I am standing here."

"I will treasure it," I say, "thank you for everything, Rydia. I will see you soon." She watches as Devon, Shelby and I leave the apartment, the door closing behind me.

* * *

><p>I play some kind of improvised melody on my instrument as the train speeds away from the Capitol on the way to District 5. Shelby has gone to her compartment to take a nap, leaving myself and Devon alone in the sitting room car. He listens attentively as he sips a mug of tea, sitting in the chair across from me. Soon, I will be joining him as a mentor, helping future tributes find their way through the Games, and sometimes I wonder who mentored Devon when he won eight years ago.<p>

"You're really good, Will," Devon says as the nameless song comes to an end, "I am positive that it as well as your singing will be your victor's talents. Come to think of it, I actually bought myself a guitar a while ago, but I never had the opportunity to fully learn how to play it." My eyes widen as I listen to Devon's confession. An idea hits me.

"I could teach you," I say, "maybe after the Victory Tour wraps up. I've been playing since I was 12, I taught myself. I'd start you off with the basics, of course, and then we could work on more advanced things like playing a song. What do you say?"

"I'd like that," he says. "Maybe I could teach you something in return… I'm actually a good cook, I know lots of recipes from the various districts. So how about I teach you one recipe a week in exchange for weekly guitar lessons?" It sounds like a fair trade to me, so we shake on it.

"Deal," I say. "There's something else I'd like to know, it's been on my mind while I was in the arena. If at the time of my reaping you were the only living victor of the district, who mentored you in your Games and what happened to him?"

"It's a long story," Devon replies as I begin to play another song. "Daniel won the 37th Games at the age of seventeen, I don't know what happened to our past victors before him to be honest. After he mentored me to my victory in the 49th Games – the arena was a deserted airport terminal – the Capitol found out that he had committed an atrocious crime against them and they made him into an Avox. So for the last 8 years, I have been mentoring the District 5 tributes including you and Mia alone, but now that you have won I won't have my hands full anymore. Just promise me one thing, Will: don't let what happened to Daniel happen to you. The Capitol is dangerous, just keep doing your duty in silence and you will be okay."

"I promise," I say with a nod, and by then the train has started to slow down. Through the window, I can see the boundaries of District 5 and the train station getting closer, Shelby wakes up just in time to join us. I can also make out a crowd of people as we slowly pull in, and when the train stops, the crowd erupts in a loud cheer, welcoming me home. The doors open, and the cheers grow louder – practically all of District 5 is here. One group in the crowd unfurls a welcome home banner.

"This is your moment," says Devon as he pushes me forward onto the platform, "you've earned it. Enjoy it." A smile crosses my face as I wave to the cheering crowd, I can see my family and some of my friends. A warm hand reaches out to me, it is Mia's mother, I recognized her from the goodbye session that followed the reaping.

And then I see her.

* * *

><p>Emma stands in a small pocket in the middle of the crowd, I recognize her red hair anywhere. She is dressed in a green dress with a yellow sweater over it, and in her hands is a bouquet of flowers. I feel a tear trickle from my eye as I descend from the platform, run through the crowd and thrust my arms around her. Of everyone that I've missed during my time in the Games, it is she that I have missed the most.<p>

"I never thought you'd return home," she says, her own voice full of emotion. "I watched every day of the Games hoping and praying that each day you would still be alive. I dreaded the nightly death recaps, and when you won I was crying."

"There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of you," I say as I reach into my pocket and pull out the locket. Unclasping the chain, I place it back around Emma's neck and open the pendant to show the photos of the two of us. I remember my promise.

"I love you, Emma," I say. "That's what got me through the Games. Just before I was launched into the arena, my stylist showed me the photos in your necklace, and right then and there I made a promise to come home to you and tell you how I feel. You've been my world, Em, ever since we were kids. You were my strength in the arena, and for that I am extremely grateful." I lean in and kiss her gently on the lips, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. I then take Karma's bracelet and fasten it around Emma's left wrist. She looks at the charm dangling from it.

"It's beautiful," she says. "Where did you get it?" I think of Karma and smile.

"From a very brave friend from District 3," I reply, "who gave herself to allow me to come home to you." A fresh tear trickles from Emma's eye as she takes my hands in hers.

"I love you too, Will."

* * *

><p>The celebration continues long into the day. On the steps of the Justice Building, the mayor of our district congratulates me with a glass sculpture and the keys to my new home in the Victor's Village where me and my parents will be living from now on. As well, my name has officially been added to the list of District 5 victors that will be read at future reapings. There is a feast in the district square for everyone to enjoy, and not only am I asked to give a speech, but I am also coerced to sing, so it becomes an impromptu concert of sorts as I perform some of my favorite songs. No doubt cameras from the Capitol are filming this homecoming celebration.<p>

Later, after the main part of the celebration is done, I am joined by Devon, my parents and Emma (who I invited to come with me) on our way to the Victor's Village, which in our district is situated about ten minutes north of the town center. Twelve large and beautiful homes surrounded by well-manicured lawns and lots of green space stand before me as we arrive, even Emma is in awe. I have been given the keys to house number 3 (Devon is right next door to me in house 2), so as I turn the key in the lock, open the door and walk in, I am amazed at how well it is decorated – perhaps the houses in each district's own village are decorated in different ways. Everything in the house is very modern, from the comfortable living room to the full kitchen and dining room. I decide to explore upstairs while everyone else continues checking out the main floor. There are four bedrooms (one for my parents, two guest rooms and one for myself) and a study, and the two largest bedrooms each has its own private bathroom. I see my guitar case leaning against the wall in the bedroom closest to the stairs on the left, so there's no doubt that this is my room.

"Will, come down," I hear Devon call from downstairs, "there's something you've got to see!" I rush back down to the main floor and follow Devon's voice to a room at the back of the house where the window looks out at a beautiful backyard. My hands fly to my mouth when I see what Devon and Emma are standing next to.

"Oh!" I exclaim.

In the corner by the window is a shiny black grand piano, a stack of sheet music tied together with a silver ribbon sitting on top of it. My mentor gestures for me to sit down on the bench, so I do so, open the lid and touch a few of the keys. How did they know I knew how to play?

"This was the gift all your sponsors pitched in to give you when you won the Games," Devon says as Emma sits down next to me on the bench, "they have a habit of knowing all the special talents of each of the tributes. I just hinted to a few of them that you loved music, so it was decided that upon your victory that this part of the house would be your own personal music room – a place you could escape to whenever you felt the need to be creative. Do you like it?"

"I love it," I say, a wide smile on my face.

"I'll leave you two alone then to get reacquainted," he says. "I'll be right next door with your parents if you need me." He quietly slips out of the room, leaving me and Emma alone.

"Play something for me, Will?" Emma asks. "Even as kids, I've always loved hearing you sing."

"Anything for you, Em," I say, and I think for an instant of a song. When one comes to me, I start playing, Emma resting her head on my shoulder as I begin to sing.

It feels so good to be home, especially with the one I love.


	12. Epilogue

_In the fifteen years since I came out of the arena alive, so much has happened but very little has changed…_

_The 57__th__ Victory Tour, by Capitol standards, was a success, many of the districts welcomed me warmly and I sang a different song at each stop to reflect my chosen victor's talent. In District 3, I spoke about how Karma and Darin were incredible allies and that they would be part of me for the rest of my life, and as a final gift of thanks I honored Karma's promise before her death and sang something I had written myself. The interviews and victor's ball during the Capitol stop went well, and I had performed a whole concert during the Harvest Festival celebrations upon my return to District 5 at the end of the tour. _

_With that out of the way, I settled into life as a Hunger Games victor, though I often had nightmares of my experiences in the arena – I was told that this was normal. Devon collected on our deal straight away and comes to my house once a week with a bag full of ingredients and his guitar, I teach him for one hour in my music room and then he takes me to the kitchen to learn a recipe – interestingly enough the first one he taught me was the caramel-topped sweet cake from 3. I'm proud to say that Devon can now play any song with ease and our past lessons have now turned into weekly jam sessions, we have even started writing songs together – he writes the words (he also has a natural gift for poetry) and I set those words to music. At our district's annual spring fair recently, I sang two of our compositions and they were a big hit._

* * *

><p><em>The year after I won, Emma was reaped into the 58<em>_th__ Hunger Games._

_My sweet Emma, who only a year ago gave me her locket as my district token and a symbol of her love, was chosen to be a tribute – she sobbed in my arms inside the Justice Building. Devon agreed that it was only right that I be her mentor while he took care of Emma's district partner, an 18-year-old boy named David Martinez. As her district token, I gave her a charm in the shape of a heart for her bracelet, a symbol of my love for her. She was placed in the care of Phoenix and his team of Minerva, Parn and Demeter while Devon helped me get sponsors for her in the week leading up to the Games. People seemed to like her during the opening tribute parade (she and David wore outfits with fiber-optic effects), she made an all-female alliance with girls from 6 and 8, she had received an 8 in training finding a talent in using blow guns, and her interview with Caesar had gone very well._

_The arena that year was an abandoned fairground, the Cornucopia in the center ring of an enormous circus tent. By the time the bloodbath ended, eleven tributes had died including David, thankfully Emma and her allies all survived. Devon and I continued to work together on sponsors for Emma since his tribute had fallen. I could go on in great detail what happened in the Games, but at the very least I can tell you that the 58__th__ Games lasted about 2 weeks, the same as my own. The final showdown was all female, between Emma, the girl from 7 and a Career from 2, in the circus tent. I had told Em in the second day of training to conquer the high rope ladders at the top of the gym, so you know what she did in the arena? She hung from the trapeze near the top of the tent from her legs right above the Career who was about to plunge her knife into the back of the girl from 7. She made a perfect aim with a poison blow dart in the back of the Career's neck and caused a domino effect – when the Career began to fall due to the effects of the poison, her knife ended up in the back of the girl from 7 and she fell. The cannons fired soon afterward, then the trumpets blared a minute or so after that, officially declaring Emma the winner and giving District 5 back-to-back victories._

_I couldn't have been prouder._

* * *

><p><em>Since our wins so long ago, Emma and I have engaged and we live together in my house – my parents moved back into our old house. Two more victors joined our ranks over the course of time (one of whom Emma mentored to victory), and two others we though never existed returned, making a solid group of seven. We switch off every now and then for the Games so the tributes we mentor get a different perspective each time.<em>

_However, we all share one hope for the future: for Panem to see true peace. Where there are no more Hunger Games, for if Emma and I were to ever have children one day, we couldn't bear to see them go through what we have gone through. We hate the Capitol for what they have done, but for now the only thing we can do is continue to do our duty in silence._

_And continue to hope that one day, the odds will be in everyone's favor._


End file.
